The Gordon Conference, Viruses and Cells, is a premier meeting in the field of Virology, emphasizing the dynamic interaction between viruses and the cells and organisms they infect. The 2005 meeting will be held at II Ciocco, Lucca, Italy, from May 15-20. The invited speakers will discuss recent ground-breaking findings on the mechanisms of viral replication and pathogenesis, as well as the host antiviral and immune responses to viral infection. The most recent developments will be highlighted both by selecting several short talks from abstracts submitted at the time of registration and through the use of prominently featured poster sessions. Participants will include a mixture of principal investigators from well-established and newly-established laboratories, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and investigators from industry. This conference is one of the few smaller meetings in virology that encompasses a broad view of the field. Funding is requested to support the conference fees for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to this meeting.